the state of the union. coming up next, the president lays out his vision for the country and for a second term. >> and courage under fire. we will watch as firefighters face danger to save lives. abc7 news begins in 60 seconds.

america is back. >> the president addresses the nation and pledges to help the middle class. >> tonight the words of resilience, moments of insurance -- inspiration and strong opposition from republicans. good evening. i'm carolyn johnson. >> and i'm dan ashley. the theme of tonight's address was an economy built to last. >> and the subtext was the key themes of his re-election campaign, jobs, taxes and the disparity between the rich and the poor. abc7's johnal stone was here with more -- john alston was

here with more. >> the president pushed for more manufacturing jobs and help for high-tech companies that gives help to those in the u.s. he promised to help homeowners and those in college. >> echoing the focus of his re-election campaign, president obama challenged congress on its own turf. >> but intend to fight obstruction with action. and i will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. >> the president again said he would increase taxes on the wealthy 1% while giving americans a break. >> if you made more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30% in taxes. >> mr. obama is pushing congress to approve a plan he says would let homeowner saves about $3,000 a year by refinancing at the current low interest rate. with the widow of apple co-founder steve jobs in the audience he called for equal pay for women and immigration

reform that puts more talent in the workforce. >> it means we should support everyone who is willing to work. and every risk taker and on trough pro mure who aspires to become the next steve jobs. >> without mentioning the bankrupt cylindra, they vowed to fight for those of green businesses. >> some technologies don't pan out. some companies fail. but i will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. >> in the republican response, mitch daniels accused the president of dividing americans. contrary to the constant disparage meant of people in business, it is one of the nobelest of human pursuits. the late steve jobs, what a fitting name he had, created more of them than all of the stimulus dollars the president borrowed and blew. >> jackie spears says the president was right to stress the idea of fairness for americans and to chastise congress. >> there are 535 egos in that

room. and i'm sure they didn't like hearing it. but that's what he is hearing when he is kris crossing the country. and the american people expect us to get the job done. >> the president called on congress to, quote, lower the temperature in this town saying each party cannotly locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction. that may be wishful thinking heading into the presidential campaign. >> indeed it may be. thanks very much. john alston president aring. the president's supporters heard much of what they wanted to. his detractors heard much of what they expected to. alan wang is live in oakland with reaction to the speech. alan? >> several hundred people packed into everett and jones barbecue tonight. this is where a lot of democrats gather for the big political events here in oaknd la. the president's speech seemed to reenvigorate his supporters who feel like he has been bogged down by republicans throughout most of the first term.

>> let's work together. we are all in this together. >> obama supporters liked the president's upbeat perspective and his emphasis on teamwork to get the economy rolling. >> this has been so opposed by republicans, but he hasn't taken a negative stance. i think that boweds well for the -- bodes well for the country. >> many of the democrats say they have seen a change that obama promised. like a ban on insurance companies from denying coverage to patients with preexisting conditions. >> i was trying to get coverage, but i didn't. now i do. so for me it is -- >> they also liked his push for an industry based on cleaner energy and incentives for the high-tech industry. >> i don't think he had a real plan for the economy. >> in his response to the president's speech, state republican chairman says giving tax breaks to the high-tech industry doesn't

demonstrate a comprehensive plan for the economy. >> it is kind of confusing. if a tax break will help some sectors of the economy, then it will probably help all sectors. i think he should concentrate on the tax reform for all sectors. >> still there is a lot of energy out here tonight, and many obama supporters believe the speech put his re-election campaign into full gear. reporting live in oakland, alan wang, abc7 news. >> alan, thank you. before his speech, the president paused for a bittersweet farewell to a congresswoman whose grit has mesmerized a nation. [applause] >> arizona representative gabrielle giffords is resigning from the house tomorrow. she is leaving to focus on her recovery from the gunshot wound that nearly killed her during an assassination attempt in tucson last january. and you can watch the

president's speech in its entirety as well as the republican response on our website, abc7news.com. there is an on going conversation on our face become page as well about the president's speech. we would like to hear from you at facebook .com/abc7 news. consumer watchdogs plan to file for a petition calling for the break up of bank of america into several smaller banks. the group public citizen believes they remain vulnerable even after the government bailed it and several other banks out three years ago. the bank's balance sheets includes many toxic assets including home mortgages that might not be repaid. >> bank of america right now is basically like a ticking time bomb. we don't know exactly what is going on there because we don't have the information. based on what information we have, it seems like at any point the bank could hit a crisis point. where there is a run on the bank and we are facing a new financial crisis much like the one we recently had. >> federal regulators do have the power to force any large

bank to split into smaller companies. b of a did not comment on the plan. san francisco's new sheriff told mayor ed le that he will not step aside while fighting charges he assaulted his wife. he will go on trial on february 24th to answer charges of domestic violence and child endangerment. mayor lee is concerned about his ability to serve as sheriff while his criminal case is on going. the two met face-to-face today. >> i think he needs to make his own decision on whether he would consider his own leave of absence, that that allows him to be in control, if you will, of his situation. >> i think it is very important that i stick to the duties that i have been ascribed to do. >> he promised he will not take pay while on trial. a teenage girl is

continuing to recover from her injuries after she was sexually assaulted near san francisco's fisherman's wharf. police say they caught her attacker in the act near the corner of north point and taylor streets early this morning. the girl is a tourist visiting san francisco with a group. officers started searching for her after her travel companions reported her missing about 2:30 this morning. it appears she had gone off on her own. the suspect is 18-year-old christopher dutel. he was taken to the hospital before being booked into jail on false imprisonment charges. a police dragnet is out tonight for a man who shot and killed a college student siting in a car with his sister in richmond. 22-year-old edwin martinez was in the wrong place at the wrong time. investigators say he was randomly gunned down by a man shooting at another car. when that car sped off he turned and shot martinez instead. his friends say the contra costa college student was studying to become an auto mechanic. >> i can't understand how

somebody could do this. if you couldn't hit the car you were trying to hit what did that person do to you? he didn't do anything. he was going to school. >> police say they have no leads and are asking for the public's help. tonight the pleasanton school district unanimously approved a plan to use drug-sniffing dogs to patrol the city's high school campuses. before the dogs will be used, district officials agreed to a search and seizure policy. a final vote on that policy is expected on february 28th. after that is approved, drug-sniffing dogs will patrol parking lots at three high schools as well as student lockers. this move comes after a large increase in the number of on campus drug cases. voters in santa clara county are pushing for a do over. they want to vote again on the 49er stadium deal, but the city attorney has other plans. we'll have the latest coming up in a live report. >> and tiewper tino's apple

makes history by reporting the best quarter of any tech company ever. we will have those numbers ahead jie. we have heavy smoke showing in a one-story house. >> and also, a life or death moment caught on camera. three bay area firefighters are honored for their bravery. >> all of that is coming up and then late other "nightline." >> coming up next, with republicans vying for his job, president obama takes center stage to confront an up popular congress. plus, the school lunches, are they making our kids fat and the chefs

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threatened by crumbling hill are being allowed back home, but it is advice -- but they are advised against sleeping there. this after a rock slide yesterday. the public works is working on a plan to permanently secure the hillside. crews will begin removing the smaller rocks, but the boulders will remain for now because they are protecting the building. the 49er season may be over, but the battle over construction over a possible new stadium in santa clara is on going. there is now a proposed ballot

initiative to block that stadium from being built. the city council took up the issue tonight. abc7's sergio quintana is live with the latest there. sergio? >> and those opponents did collect enough signatures for what they thought would go before voters this year. but just after a half an hour ago, the city council decided to reject the signatures and those initiatives and instead they took the whole issue to court. spray paint marks where surveyors and utility crews started preping the site for construction of the future 49er stadium. the santa clara mayor says the journey to the playoffs has given new light to the luxury boxes in the proposed stadium. >> it raised the stakes. it made it so they sold quick scpert stadium builders built quicker. people realize that this is a super bowl-bound team. >> but opponents of the santa clara stadium say they want a second public vote on construction and this time

they want voters to be clear about the billion dollar price tag. >> the 49ers owned and marketed measure j and intentionally left the facts of what it was going to cost our city off the ballot. >> the group has gathered enough signatures to qualify for a referendum. the city attorney recommended that the city council reject the signatures calling the issues the petitions raised not refer wrenable. -- refer rendable. but then he has to take it to court. >> i ask they file legal action to establish that these refer wren daw are not properly refer wrenable. >> they say it would cost $2 million to $3 million to print and carry out a special election. >> are you prepared for all of that and all of the costs associated with taking it to the voters again? >> it is cheaper than the debt. i don't think it will exceed the debt. and they can resend it. it is their choice what they decide to do.

it is going to cost lots and lots of money to take it to court too. >> and they have actually started collecting money for this on coming legal battle. of course, the spokesperson for the opponents of the santa clara stadium. the mayor says it will not delay construction. it will go into the ground and start preping for the new stadium in santa clara. sergio quintana, abc news. apple is getting the job done even without steve jobs. they released the best ever quarterly earnings report amidst record-breaking sales and profits. apple's revenues soared to $46 billion. that's up 73% from a year ago. the profits came in at $13 billion translating to earnings of $13.87 per share. the stock closed just over $420 a share and then soared to $451 in after hours

trading. apple ran up the score by selling 37 million iphones during the last three months of 2011 alone. it also sold 15.5 million ipads up 128% compared to a year ago. computer sales jumped 26%. a lot of sunshine here, but wet weather to the north of us. >> sandhya patel is keeping an eye on all of it. >> yes, the rain has shifted to the north of us. as you look at live doppler 7hd, crescent city is getting wet right now. half an inch of rain has fallen. the last several storms here in the bay area certainly helping boost our percent of normal. here is the latest, santa rosa is over 11 inches of rain. 57 percent of normal. san francisco and oakland 48% of normal and san jose is 33% of average. so, yes, we are still running behind. but it is certainly not as behind as we were a week or two ago when we were 20 to 30% of normal. so definitely the recent rain has made a difference. and the sierra snowpack is now

40% of average. it was 10% of normal. look at the storm totals. soda springs over four feet of snow. these are the totals. sugar bowl in the 50s. and as you can see there is tahoe and 48 inches and bear valley, 39 inches of snow. winter is taking a break, at least for the next 7 days. we are in a dry forecast. the temperatures in the 40s and 50s. we do have high clouds out there. we are expecting some fog to form in the valleys toward morning. milder days starting with highs near 70 degrees. you are not hearing things. it is near 70 degrees by the weekend. really spring-like weather headed our way. so this ridge of high pressure is now pushing the jet stream and the storm track to the north of us. the storms are going to stay to the north of us. we will see a few high clouds spilling over the top of the ridge. first thing in the morning the clouds and the fog and the front really stay to the north, breaks apart. we end up with a pretty sunny looking afternoon. may see some patches of low clouds toward late afternoon

along the coastline and in parts of the bay area. just be aware of it. tomorrow morning, patchy fog. it could reduce the visibility in some spots. so just give yourself a little extra time. fairfield is already -- the temperatures are reaching the dew point right now. they should see fog shortly. 38 degrees there. 39 in livermore. down to 43 in san jose and tort3 for san mateo and richmond. 37 in santa rosa. mid40s for san francisco, half moon bay may need a sweater as you head out the door. you will probably lose your sweaters tomorrow afternoon. i don't mean lose as in misplace, but you may want to lose them. 61 in san francisco. low 60s san mateo and half moon bay. get out toward the inland east bay. even toward the south bay and you are in the mid60s there. 64 at clear lake and could see a few sprinkles well to the north. around the monterey bay, the temperatures will be in the mid to upper 60s. 68 watsonville and 68 inland in gilroy. here is a look at your

accu-weather seven-day forecast. it is dry. very different accu-weather seven-day forecast than what we have been seeing. the temperatures are coming up in the low to mid60s. cooler on thursday and friday, but they bounce back up near 70 degrees on saturday. next week we will see more clouds and then by tuesday night and into wednesday, could see some rain carolyn and dan. but it is still a week out. >> we need it. coming up, a firsthand look at a life and death situation. the moment three east bay firefighters became heroes. >> and you can get in on all of the oscar action with our new oscar app. predict the winner and watch exclusive live video from the red carpet and get a look back stage during the show. we have a link to the app for you at abc7news.com. just look under see it on tv.

you can see in this helmet camera video the danger they faced when they rescued two elderly women from a burning home in concord back in october. >> come with me, ma'am. let's go.

>> firefighters rush both women out of the smoke-filled home. the county supervisors honored their efforts during the morning meeting in martinez today. well, expect to see a strangely decorated san francisco cable car come super bowl sunday. earlier this month mayor ed lee and michael bloomburg placed a friendly wager over the nfc championship game between the 49ers and the giants. the 49ers lost on sunday so mayor lee will make good on his promise to outfit a cable car in blue and red flags in honor of those new york giants. >> i think there is sourdough bread going as well. >> yes, maybe a crab. >> a tough game. >> i think we suffered enough. don't do it, ed. speaking of colors, silver and black decide on a new head coach. the raiders raid their afc west rivals. the pick is a surprise. sports is next.

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the raiders have a new head coach.

somebody nobody expected. the denver defensive coordinator alan will take over. he spent a year with the broncos and improving their defense dramatically. before that, five years with the saints. alan had his second interview with the new gm today at the senior bowl in mobile, alabama. whatever he said. it worked. alan is the first defensive-oriented head coach since john madden was hired by al davis in 1969. the raiders have not confirmed alan's hiring. contract details have to be worked out. more coaching news. 49er special teams seeley about to interview with the colts. they are looking for a new head coach. he is regarded one of the best special teams coaches in the league. 55 years old and started with the colts in 1989. as expected, the giants avoid going to arbitration with their star pitcher tim lincecum, agreeing on a two-year deal worth over $40 million. he will make $18 million this season and $22 next. there is a $500,000 signing bonus. it is like -- nothing like getting $500,000 to sign your name. he turned down a five-year

$500 million offer. he was comfy with two years though. he will be a free agent which this deal expires and at that point he could look at offers of $25 million a year or more than that. tiger woped in to -- swooped in nine years and $214 million. he grew up in the tigers clubhouse watching his dad play for detroit. he had 120 r.b.i's and -- 120 r.b.i's and that is worth $2 power million a year. the sharks hit the break on a positive note. a win in calgary. only one goal scored. goalies dominated the game. marlow is unable to squeeze if. he was denied and 25 saves. you will get nothing and like it. just over eight minutes left. he pluck itself out of midair and puts it down and it scores. the most entertaining goal of

the year. it is an illegal play. you throw it down and shoot it in and 1-0 sharks the final. the australian open. nadal with the quarter final action. the bottom of your screen and nice net play right there. the second set in a tiebreaker. this is the point of the match though, the fourth set, the forehand winner. wow. 6-7, 7-6, 4-6-3 and he moves on to face federer. that is your toyota sports report. >> it used to be one of my favorites. he is one of tennis' all time greats. >> a class act. "nightline" is next. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm carolyn johnson. you can keep track of the latest break is news on twitter on the abc news bay area. >> we appreciate your time. >> have a great night, everyone. ♪

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